Tourism as a Soft Power in Turkish Foreign Policy from the Perspective of WomenAmbassadors: The Case of Africa

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyse one of the soft power elements of foreign policy: the tourismindustry, Turkey-Africa relations in particular from the perspective of Turkish womenambassadors in Africa. In Africa’s tourism sector, Turkey will create added value both for Africaand in terms of gaining economic and political power in Africa on the international platform. Inthis context, the positive developments since the 2000s, noting Turkey-Africa relations in tourism,will form the basis of this study. From this perspective considering the increasing number ofwomen diplomats in Turkey and in the world of diplomacy, this study focuses on the evaluationof the tourism ambassadorship of Turkish women in Africa. In fact, the worldwide cracks thathave begun in the male-dominated structure in diplomacy have also been effective in Turkey.Thus, female ambassadors were appointed to 16 of the 42 Turkish Embassies in Africa. Therefore,the effect of female ambassadors, who have an important place in Turkish foreign policy in Africawith their representation rate of 30%, has not only been limited to the development of tourismrelations, but been an important factor that triggers cooperation in every field imaginable inTurkey’s relations with African countries. Based on this, semi-structured in-depth interviews areconducted with female Turkish ambassadors in Zambia, Rwanda, South Africa and Ethiopia.Within the scope of the interviews (Turkish women ambassadors in Africa), the number of touristsin the country they are in for the tourism sector, tourist information activities, studies on servicesoffered to Turkish tourists, visa agreements, the presence of a tourism agency, bilateral tourismagreements, Turkish investors’ investments in the tourism sector, and women's employment in thetourism sector are analysed. In the analysis, there is a general consensus on the need to increaseinvestments in areas such as transportation, energy, water and telecommunications, as well asinfrastructural problems, the problem of reduction in biodiversity, which is a result of climatechange, security (e.g., terrorism, ethnic separatist movements), political and economic stabilityproblems. It is concluded that there is an important potential that can be developed in the fields ofadventure tourism, convention and fair tourism, and health tourism, if a solution is found.